This textbook offers a comprehensive introduction to the geophysics of the cryosphere—Earth’s sphere of snow and ice—intended for advanced undergraduate students in geophysics, geography, geology, and environmental sciences. Unlike broader climate-focused or geographically descriptive volumes, this book provides a structured, physical understanding of snow and ice processes in high-latitude and high-altitude environments.
Chapters cover the physical properties of snow and ice, the evolution of seasonal snow cover, the flow and mass balance of glaciers and ice sheets, and the behavior of floating ice on lakes, rivers, and seas. The book also explores the cryosphere’s role in climate systems and its future under changing conditions.
Developed from long-standing courses at the University of Helsinki and international winter schools, this book includes end-of-chapter study problems and a compact annex of key constants and formulas. It is equally useful as a coursebook or reference for researchers in Earth system sciences working with cryospheric elements.
Preface.-
1. Introduction.-
2. Ice Solid Phase of Water.-
3.
Atmospheric Forcing of the Cryosphere.-
4. Seasonal Snow Cover.-
5. Frozen
Ground.-
6. Ice Sheets and Glaciers.-
7. Lake Ice and River Ice.-
8. Sea
Ice.-
9. Cryosphere and Future.- Annex.
Matti Leppäranta is an emeritus professor of geophysics at the University of Helsinki. He has decades of experience in the study of sea ice, lake ice, and snow physics. His research has advanced understanding in ice dynamics, thermodynamics, and climate interactions. He has held research and teaching positions worldwide, including at Hokkaido University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences and lectured regularly at UNIS, Svalbard. A prolific author, he has published several books with Springer, such as The Drift of Sea Ice and Freezing of Lakes and the Evolution of Their Ice Cover.
Petteri Uotila is a professor of geophysics at the University of Helsinki, specializing in polar oceanography. His research focuses on the polar oceans and their role in the climate system, with contributions to ocean modeling. He has held research positions at leading institutions including Monash University, CSIRO, and the Courant Institute at NYU. In addition to publishing extensively, he has authored book chapters on sea ice modeling and oceanclimate linkages.
